Don't Underestimate Me
by Lil Badger 101
Summary: When Greg and Nick get taken from a crime scene they wake up in the middle of a forest, and someone is determined to make sure they don't escape as they enter a fight for survival.
1. Chapter 1: Missing

**A/N: Yes, I know it's very quick for me to be posting another story but I'd written this one aaages ago so I thought I might as well finally put it out there. It's one of the first ones I'd ever written and I didn't post it because I thought it was a bit too stupid and unrealistic, but I guess I'll let you decide that. This chapter seems pretty normal because it's just the set up but we'll see :P**

**Please Review :) xx**

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**Chapter 1: Missing**

The two men could not be feeling anymore different as they drove to the crime scene.

Greg was in a really excitable mood because Grissom had allowed him to go and help out at a crime scene for the first time in weeks and he couldn't wait to get stuck in. He had been finding life as a lab tech very tedious lately and really wanted to get in on the action. He was happy to take any opportunity to get field experience no matter how gruesome the case. Meanwhile, Nick was feeling rather disgruntled because he wasn't very keen on taking Greg to a scene.

Greg may be one of his best friends but Nick still felt the need to 'baby sit' him every time they were at a scene as Greg had very little experience. Even though Nick really appreciated his eagerness to help, Greg could be a bit of a handful sometimes, especially when Nick wanted to get the job done quickly. Plus, Nick wasn't really into the whole responsibility thing and felt it was really Grissoms job to look after the trainee CSI. But, as a compromise, Grissom had agreed to let Nick take charge in the next high profile case they got.

"I can't believe Grissom actually asked me to help out" Greg smirked as Nick drove them up to the scene, Nick couldn't help but roll his eyes.

"It's just because we're a bit short handed at the moment with Sara and Catherine away at that conference this week" Nick explained "I wouldn't get too use to it if I were you"

Greg scowled at him and crossed his arms "Jeez Nick why are you always trying to burst my bubble?"

"I just don't think you should be getting a head of yourself" Nick shrugged "I mean what if this is just a one off? I don't want you to be disappointed"

"Nick how dumb do you think I am?" Greg said sighing and shaking his head "you're just bummed because you drew the short straw and had to be the one to look after me".

"That's not true" Nick protested but Greg turned to look at him with his eyebrow raised "well…maybe a little…" Nick mumbled.

"Look, I know I can be annoying and boisterous sometimes but I can also be serious and professional when I know I need to be" Greg said the under layer in his tone suggesting he was feeling a little hurt.

Nick felt really bad all of a sudden "I know, I'm sorry, it's just I'm really not the looking after other people type. I mean I've always had Grissom to rely on and now you're relying on me… it's weird."

"So…do you admit that I will make a good full time field investigator someday?" Greg said lightly nudging Nick's shoulder.

"Alright I admit it" Nick said rolling his eyes again and smiling "You're going to be a great CSI one day" he added sincerely.

"I know" Greg said smiling smugly and placing his hands behind his head. Nick just laughed; he kind of hoped Greg would never lose his cocky attitude.

They pulled up at the crime scene about ten minutes later. It was outside a convenience store in a rather dodgy neighbourhood. The sun was just starting to go down leaving a hellish red glare over Vegas, making the place seem even more dangerous. Nick and Greg got out of the car to be greeted by the unwelcoming sounds of angry dogs barking at each other echoing through the air and various different car alarms going off in some form of messed up symphony.

Nick opened the trunk of the car and Greg bent in and picked out their cases.

"Ah, ah, ah" Nick said waving a finger at Greg "open your case, I want to make sure you're organised and have everything you need"

"Fine, but if you find any Crack in there it's not mine" Greg said squatting down and placing his case on the ground before opening it "What, I was just kidding" he said laughing at the cautious look Nick was giving him. Nick shook his head again and walked over to inspect the case. "So, do I pass?" Greg said with a half-smile.

"With flying colours" Nick smiled back before picking up his own case and beginning to walk down the alley.

Greg did a little shuffle with his feet in triumph before following his colleague down the alley. They spotted Brass at the end of the street accompanied by the flashing red and blue lights of a cop car and the familiar yellow and black crime scene tape.

"Evening boys" Brass welcomed them getting out his note pad and pen "must say I'm surprised to see you here Sanders"

"Ya know you can call me Greg if you want…it makes me feel old when you call me by my last name" Greg said with a slight shudder. He looked at Nick who was biting his bottom lip "hey don't you make any snide remarks I'm only twenty seven and you're _way_ older than me!" Greg retorted.

"I wasn't going to say anything I swear" Nick said raising his hand defensively.

"If you guys have quite finished" Brass said raising his eyebrows at the pair of them, but Nick and Greg could see he was trying very hard to conceal a smile.

"Ok you're right, so what you got for us?" Nick asked.

"Our Dead body is a white male; Bobby Newton aged thirty, found the ID in his wallet. He's an employee her, store's owner called it in about forty minutes ago. He appears to have been shot at point blank in the middle of his forehead. "

"Did anyone hear or see anything?" Nick probed.

"No it appears there were no passers-by at the time and Bobby was the only one in the store because he was just closing up. The owner said he came by about five thirty to pick up the days income and he decided to take the trash out, that's when he found the body."

"Well that's good but I still have one question" Greg said turning around and scanning the area "where is the body?"

"Think about it" Nick said encouraging Greg to come up with his own solution "owner found the guy whilst taking out the trash so…"

"So…he's in the dumpster?" Greg suggested uncertainly but was relieved when Brass gave him a nod of approval.

"Oh great" the three men heard from behind them, they spun round to see David approaching "I just left Grissoms case, his guy was in the sewers, do you realise how many showers I'm going to have to take to get rid of the smell" he said wrinkling his nose.

"Quit your moaning Super Dave and go work your magic" Nick said laughing and clapping David on the back as he walked over to the dumpster. "Greg I'm gunna give David a hand, you start walking up and down the alley, see if you spot anything useful, but don't go too far" he added giving Greg a warning look.

"I promise" Greg said smiling "Scouts honour" he added making the sign with his fingers before picking up his case and heading off back down the alley.

"So what's your diagnosis Super Dave" Nick said approaching him at the dumpster.

"Well he's definitely dead" David said seriously and Nick just shook his head.

"Anything I don't know?" he asked.

"Liver temp suggests he's been dead about an hour so I'd put time of death in-between five and six pm. COD is obviously bullet to the head. Come on muscles I'll need your help lifting him out" David said gripping the body under its shoulders while Nick walked round, pulling on some gloves and took hold of the legs. "One, two, three" David said and they lifted the body only to be in for a bit of a surprise.

"Call me crazy…" Nick said as they placed the body down on the ground "…But is it just me or does this guy only have one hand?"

"No I see it too" David said squatting down to inspect it "or rather I don't…left hand is completely missing, very messily removed though I'd say these marks were made with some kind of tool, maybe a saw"

"Well I wonder where it could be" Nick said walking back over to the dumpster and looking in with his torch.

"That would be your job" David said gathering his things "my job right now is to get stumpy here back to the lab and take a better look. I'll see you back there later"

"Ok see you" Nick said and continued to study the contents of the dumpster.

There was no visible blood splatter in there, or in this section of the alley for that matter suggesting this wasn't the primary crime scene.

"Looks like I'm going in" Nick mumbled to himself looking disgusted into the sea of gunk and rubbish filling the dumpster "or I could get Greg to do it" he said smugly too himself and decided to go and see how his younger colleague was getting on.

"Nothing" Greg said annoyed, slapping his hands against his legs "I've got absolutely nothing"

"Me either really" Nick said putting his hands on his hips "I don't think this was our primary crime scene, just the body dump. Oh by the way if you see a spare hand lying around, let me know" He added before going over to the car and getting out some overalls.

"What?" Greg said a bit bemused "you've already got two, don't you think having three is a bit much?"

"Not for me smart ass" Nick said slipping off his vest and pulling on the overalls "for our vic, his left hand is missing" he finished buttoning up the overalls "and I'm gunna risk stinking for the rest of the day to go find it"

"Well good luck with that" Greg said, glad it wasn't him "but if it's alright with you I'm going to continue looking around here"

"Sure but just stay in sight ok" Nick concluded before heading back over to the dumpster.

Nick looked over the side and once again wrinkled up his nose in disgust "well one small step for man" he said hauling himself over the side "one big step towards a raise for me, I do not get paid enough to do this."

Meanwhile, Greg was right at the top of the alley now and was just feeling close to giving up when he noticed a small blood drop on the floor. Excited, he placed a number card down on the ground and took a picture of the blood, he then noticed another drop a few feet away, then another and another.

"A trail" he said beaming eagerly "Nick!" he called but the older CSI was too far away now to hear. Greg considered following the trail alone but remembered how Nick insisted he didn't leave his sight. He walked forward a few metres "Nick!" he called again.

"Greg I'm busy!" Nick called back. Greg could tell that being knee deep in rubbish was not helping Nick's mood.

_Surely if I'm just around the corner…that would be ok._ Greg thought to himself wanting to follow the trail before it turned useless. He walked back over to his kit picked it up and continued to follow the trail. He followed it right round the corner of the street until he came to another alley way.

"Whoa" Greg said slightly shocked.

Parked in the alley was a white van. Well it would have been white if there wasn't blood splattered all over the back doors, it was all over the ground too, a rather big pool, he'd found the primary crime scene. Greg had to fight his curious nature to investigate further as he thought he best tell Nick before he did anything else.

Back at the dumpster Nick had just climbed out rather annoyed it had all been for nothing as he didn't find the missing hand.

"Greg?" he asked suddenly aware the younger CSI was missing.


	2. Chapter 2: Ride

**A/N: Wow, I think that's the most reviews I've ever had for an opening chapter! Thanks so much you guys :) and of course thank you for alerting/ favouriting / reading/ means I can do my happy dance ;) You know, I thought this story was very unrealistic and weird but then I thought, this is fan fiction it's allowed to be those things, right!? Hope you enjoy this next chapter as much as the first!**

**Please Review :) xx**

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**Chapter 2: Ride **

"Greg!" Nick called more frantically now running back up to the top of the alley where he'd last seen the younger CSI. He was just about to call out again when he bumped into Greg at the corner of the street. "What did I say about leaving my sight!?" Nick said angrily but still relieved to see his friend was ok.

"I know I'm sorry, but you said you were busy and I found a blood trail… you were worried about me weren't you?" Greg said smugly but Nick really didn't look like he was in the mood "ok, ok what if I told you I found our primary crime scene?"

"Then you may have begun to redeem yourself" Nick said taking the overalls off and putting his vest back on "lead the way" he instructed and Greg started to follow the blood drops once more.

He brought Nick round to the alley where he found the van. "I didn't do anything yet; I thought I better come get you…" Greg said sheepishly.

"Well done I suppose" Nick said taking a step closer to the van and squatting down to examine the blood with his torch.

Greg remained standing examining the van doors, they were slightly open so he used his torch to look instead "hey there's more blood in here" he said opening the door a bit further. "Oh my God, look!" he exclaimed opening the door fully now and climbing inside the van.

"What is it?" Nick asked intrigued following Greg inside.

The van just seemed to contain stacks and stacks of freezer boxes and Greg was standing over the top of one that had fallen over. The gory contents, as well as melted ice, were sprawled all over the floor.

"The missing hand" Greg said poking it gently with his gloved fingers. He looked up at the other boxes "you don't think…" he said quietly looking at Nick.

Nick knew exactly what Greg was thinking. He opened another box nearby and showed the contents to Greg, another hand.

"What the hell is going on here?" Nick asked confused.

Suddenly there was a bang as the doors were slammed shut behind them and the duo could hear them being locked from the outside. Nick panicked and ran at the doors pushing on them but they didn't budge. He started to bang on them loudly.

"Hey let us out!" he called, but there was no response.

Then there was another bang and a ping of metal behind him. He spun round to see Greg looking wide eyed in shock as the bullet which had flown through the side of the van had missed him by centimetres. The gun fire suddenly started in rapid rounds and Greg dropped to his knees and covered his head with his arms. Nick got down on the floor and crawled over to Greg.

"Stay here!" he ordered pushing Greg behind a stack of the freezer boxes and then placing himself over Greg as some kind of shield, he could feel the young CSI shaking slightly beneath him.

Nick pulled his own weapon out now and aimed over the top of the boxes they were hidden behind. He took a few wild shots hoping to hit the shooter but judging by the various directions the bullets were coming from there was more than one person.

As suddenly as it had started the gunfire fell silent and the two CSI's could now only hear their own ragged breaths.

"You ok?" Nick asked getting off Greg and looking at him. The young man simply nodded as he'd gone ghost pale and was still shaking from the shock.

There was a low rumble and then both men fell forward as the van started to move with a jerk.

"Damn!" Nick exclaimed getting up and trying to barge the door open again but unsurprisingly to him it didn't move. "Urgh!" he kicked the door in anger and slid his back slowly down it until he was sat on the floor. "I left my phone back at the scene" he mumbled "do you have yours?"

Greg took his phone out his vest pocket. "Batteries dead" he said solemnly and the boys sat in silence for a while listening as they were driven further and further away from the scene.

Greg managed to crawl over to one of the bullet holes and peer through "it's getting too dark to see anything" he stated and looked over at Nick who hadn't said anything or moved for a while, maybe he was thinking but Greg wondered if he was mad at him. "Nick I'm sorry this is my fault" he blurted out, Nick looked up at this "I sh-shouldn't have brought you here, I should have checked It was s-safe first" he was desperately trying to fight the tears welling in his eyes.

"Hey, it's not your fault" Nick said managing to crawl over to Greg with some struggle and sitting beside him "I'm the one who's supposed to be in charge here, I should have checked it was safe"

"Can we just agree to share the blame?" Greg asked quietly resting his head on Nick's shoulder.

"Fair enough" Nick replied patting Greg on the knee.

"So what do we do now?" Greg asked remaining quiet, any form of his once loud and outgoing self was replaced by a scared young man.

"I don't know" Nick replied honestly "wait until we stop, see what these guys want and try and think of an escape plan"

The CSI's sat in silence once more and wondered what would become of them. Twenty minutes later and they were still on the move but quite spontaneously both men started to feel really drowsy and light headed.

"Do you smell that?" Nick asked wearily as something pungent began to attack his nostrils, he looked up and spotted a small vent.

"Yeah" Greg replied just as drowsily "sort of like, chloroform…" and with that Nick felt the younger CSI go limp at his side.

"Greg?" he asked concernedly giving him a nudge "Greg stay with me buddy" but the sleepiness was getting too much for Nick too and he soon followed Greg into a deep slumber.

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Greg's nose started to twitch as something was tickling it and disturbing his sleep. He squint one eye open and saw it to be a leaf, leaves, he was completely surrounded by dried up leaves that must have fallen in the autumn winds. The sun was almost completely gone with just a thin line of light coming from the horizon and the moon would soon be here to do the night shift. The temperature was beginning to drop as the cold night of October got ready to take over.

Greg moaned slightly and listened to the leaves crunch beneath him as he pulled himself into an upright position. He found he was surrounded by a circle of trees; they appeared to be glaring down at him like they were judging him because he'd done something bad. He looked to his side and found Nick still passed out also buried amongst the leaves. He crawled over and started to shake Nick's shoulder gently.

"Nick?" he whispered "Nick wake up" he said shaking his shoulder a bit more vigorously.

"Huh, what?" was all Nick managed to blurt out as he opened his eyes and rubbed them groggily. "Where are we?" he asked sitting up.

"Well…" Greg begun getting to his feet and walking to the middle of the clearing "I see trees…" he turned 90 degrees "trees" he turned again "trees" and again "and more trees. So I think it's safe to say we've been dumped in the middle of a forest and I mean in the middle, I can't see the edge anywhere just endless rows of trees"

"Urgh, those bastards" Nick groaned getting to his feet and rubbing his eyes again.

"Could be worse" Greg pointed out trying to find a lighter side "they could have killed us"

"Yeah because leaving us to die in the middle of nowhere is ten times better" Nick said sarcastically "sorry" he sighed "I know I shouldn't snap at you"

"It's ok, but now what? Which way do we go? It's going to be getting really dark soon and we won't be able to see" Greg asked looking for some guidance.

"Well…we could follow the vans tyre tracks back out" Nick suggested scanning in the floor.

"There are none" Greg observed miserably "wind must have blown the leaves and covered them up"

"You still got your torch?" Nick asked pulling his own from his pocket and switching it on, Greg nodded and did the same. "Well we could try and think of a systematic way to decide which way to go or…"

"Or we could just do eenie meenie minee moe?" Greg said with a shrug.

"Works for me" Nick replied and the pair began to walk off in their randomly selected direction.

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The CSI's went on in silence for a while, Nick staying right by Greg's side in case any trouble occurred; he had one hand on his gun to whole time. The sun was now completely gone and the moon had now come to take guard leaving a rather eerie pattern on the forest floor as its beams fought to break through the tops of the trees. The only sounds that could be heard were the leaves crunching beneath the two men's feet and the movement of the birds in the trees above, accompanied by an owl hooting.

"This reminds me way too much of a horror movie" Greg suddenly piped up "if we had a camera we could make a pretty good 'The Blair Witch Project' rip off"

"Yeah I never really liked that movie" Nick replied trying not to think about it "hey, look." He said stopping in his tracks and turning to the side "do you see that light over there; it's only faint, coming from behind that group of trees"

"Yeah I see it" Greg replied eagerly "come on lets go check it out".

"Now hang on a sec Indiana Jones" Nick said taking Greg's arm and pulling him back "you do not move more than a foot away from me you got that?"

"Gosh Nick I didn't know you could be so clingy" Greg said with a crooked smile but he could tell Nick was being serious "alright I won't" and the two men began to walk towards the mysterious source of light.

As they got closer the light began to get brighter and brighter until the two men could make out the silhouette of a small cabin, the light was coming from inside.

"You think we should go inside and ask for help?" Nick asked as they reached the clearing.

"Erm…I don't think that would be a very good idea" Greg said cautiously.

"Why not?" Nick asked confused.

"Because I think whoevers in that house…are the ones who brought us here" and with that Nick turned to see Greg shining his torch on the same white van they had been trapped in.

Nick thought about this for a while "Ok I'm gunna go take a closer look, you stay here, get behind some trees for cover"

"No way in hell!" Greg exclaimed loudly. Nick shushed him not wanting the people in the cabin to hear them and pushed Greg behind a tree. "Nick I am not letting you go over there by yourself!"

"But…" Nick started to protest, he had expected this reaction.

"No, you can forget it. We go together. End of" Greg said sternly.

"Alright fine" Nick conceded "but if I tell you to run, you run. If I tell you to hide, you hide. If something happens to me and I tell you to leave me behind, you do so."

"Ok" Greg said nodding his head, but he had his fingers crossed behind his back. There was no way he'd leave Nick by himself if he was in danger; he had only agreed in order to avoid an argument.

"Let's go" Nick said quietly and Greg still sticking close, they made their way nearer to the cabin.

They started to walk in a bent over position until they were at the side of the cabin and then sat down underneath the window.

"Ok, I'm gunna take a look" Nick said getting up on his knees and peering just about an inch over the window ledge.

"What do you see?" Greg asked in a curious whisper.

"There's three big guys, I'd say in their thirties, big muscles and tattoos everywhere so not the friendliest looking. They're sat round a table smoking and playing poker I think. This must be their hide out."

"You reckon they take people's hands to sell to labs and medical schools to experiment? That would definitely get them a lot of money" Greg theorized.

"Maybe" Nick said pondering this. "Crap, I think one of them saw me!" he exclaimed suddenly, he saw the men point and move from the table. "Run!" he yelled pulling Greg to his feet as they heard the door open and the gunshots more or less started straight away.


	3. Chapter 3: Don't Look Back

**A/N: Hello fanficers! I heard last night's CSI was pretty amazing, God I'm so jealous XD Anyways, thank you so much for reviewing/ alerting/ favouriting/ reading, you're all brill! I think this chapter comes off a little dull, so please tell me what you think! **

**Please Review :) xx**

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**Chapter 3: Don't Look Back**

They started to dart back towards the forest.

"Stay in front of me!" Nick commanded to Greg and he fell back a little to let Greg passed.

The gun shots continued as they entered the trees again, the thugs obviously now putting up a chase. Nick pulled his own gun from his pocket and once again started to take blind shots behind him, praying to hit someone. The scary part was now it was pitch black and he couldn't see where the bullets were going, how close they were near to hitting and he couldn't see the men either.

Meanwhile Greg hadn't looked back since they had started to run, he could hear Nick running and firing away behind him so he at least knew Nick was still alright. The adrenaline just coursed through Greg and that mixed with fear was keeping him going.

The trees became really cramped together and Greg had to try and plough his way through as stuck out twigs and branches started to scratch at his sides and face. Suddenly the ground dropped beneath his feet and Greg tumbled down the small bank. He lay in shock for a few seconds but then heard heavy footsteps getting closer, and he knew it wasn't Nick.

Nick had been concentrating so hard on trying to hit one of the men that he hadn't noticed Greg disappear from in front of him.

"Greg!" he called frantically as he reached the cramped up area of trees "Greg, where are you!"

"I'm fine, just keep going!" Greg called back as he scrambled to his feet once more and ran in the direction he'd heard Nick's voice.

Greg managed to climb out of the dip in the ground and felt the wind beside him move as a bullet whizzed past his right ear only prompting him to run faster. He re-joined Nick and they could just about see each other through the foliage as a line of trees separated them. Suddenly the cracks from shots being fired seemed to stop, the thugs must have got bored or tired.

The trees stopped again as the CSI's found themselves back in the clearing where they had been dumped earlier. Greg fell over dramatically into the leaves breathless and Nick stood doubled over with his hands on his knees trying to regain some air.

"Let's. Not. Do that. Again." Greg spluttered between breaths "you ok though?"

"Agreed and yeah I'm fine" Nick said walking over to Greg and sitting down beside him. "You know for someone who didn't play sport you can sure as hell run fast" he said nudging Greg's shoulder.

"Thanks" Greg replied "you know for someone your age…"

"Hey I didn't make that comment about your age earlier so you can't do the same to me" Nick said laughing lightly.

"Fair do's. You think we should take shelter behind one of these trees in case they come back? It's far too dark now to try and get very far" Greg pointed out.

"Yeah you're right come on, we should try getting some sleep to re-boost our energy and it should be easier to see in the morning. Besides, I'm sure Grissom has noticed we've gone missing by now." Nick said getting off the ground and heading behind a rather large old oak tree.

He settled down leaning against the trunk and Greg did the same next to him. Both of the men had started to shiver uncontrollably as the night temperature had dropped dramatically, both of them only having their tee shirts, vests and a hoodie on for protection. The ground and tree felt ice cold and they could feel their breaths were just as cold too.

"I can't believe it could ever be this freezing in Vegas" Greg said pulling his hood up and wrapping his arms tightly around his torso.

"Well to be fair we don't even know if we're in Vegas anymore" Nick pointed out copying Greg's action.

"Better catching pneumonia than getting shot and dying in pain" Greg said quietly closing his eyes.

Nick could feel him trembling furiously beside him. He thought it must be a lot worse for Greg because he was rather scrawny whereas Nick at least had more muscle to keep him warm. He put his arm around Greg's waist and pulled him closer until he was nestled into Nick's side.

"What are you doing?" Greg asked quite surprised but he still wriggled further into Nick's side.

"Sharing body heat" Nick said getting comfortable "but if you ever tell anyone I will kill you. I could just imagine the torment we'd get off Warrick if he saw us like this"

"Don't worry no one would believe me if I told them you had feelings anyway" Greg said with a light smile and he closed his eyes and rest his head on Nick's shoulder. "Night you big softy"

"Night you little nuisance" Nick said resting his head back against the tree and closing his eyes too.

* * *

Nicks eyelids fluttered open as they started to be attacked with daylight. His left arm was still wrapped around Greg and his right was draped across his own chest. He looked down to see Greg was still fast asleep with his head resting on Nicks shoulder, scratches were now visible on his face from where he'd ran into the branches last night and they had been bleeding. Nick could feel some on his own face too as they were stinging slightly. He pulled his hood down and quickly slipped out from underneath Greg and gently placed his head on the ground not wanting to disturb him; Greg stirred a little but didn't wake up.

Nick took this opportunity to get up and stretch his now jarred limbs and then walked out into the clearing hoping that the light of the morning would give a better view of where they were. Unfortunately he had no such luck as even with the now intense daylight he could still not see the edge of the forest.

Just then Greg began to wake up too and panicked a bit when he found himself on the ground and Nick no longer at his side. "Nick!" he called desperately wanting a reply.

"It's alright, I'm out here" Nick called back and Greg went to join him in the clearing pulling down his hood and rubbing his eyes "still can't see a way out of here" Nick told Greg glumly "oh my god are you alright!" he exclaimed running over to Greg.

"Why what are you…" Greg started bemused; Nick dropped to his knees and started to study the pool of blood that had formed on Greg's jeans just above his knee. "Oh, I must have scraped it last night when I fell over" he explained sitting down and rolling up his jeans to take a look.

"Does it hurt?" Nick asked concernedly as he looked at the big gash going across Greg's leg that looked pretty deep, quite a few layers of skin had been removed.

"No its fine I didn't even notice" Greg replied rolling his trouser leg back down and getting up. He studied the trees "that one over there has branches going all the way up" he noted walking towards it.

"So?" Nick said getting up and following Greg.

"So, I bet I can climb up it and try and see which way we should go" Greg said putting his hands on his hips.

"No way it's too dangerous" was Nick's immediate response.

"Ok then what do you suggest because you obviously have a better idea" Greg said folding his arms and raising an eyebrow at Nick who moved his mouth but no words came out "right so that's settled then" Greg said clapping his hands together before grabbing hold of the lowest branch and hoisting himself up.

"Be careful" Nick said watching as Greg began to go higher and higher.

"Aren't I always?" Greg called back as he tried to keep a steady footing.

The higher Greg got the more he began to feel nervous. Nick who was stood at the bottom of the tree just watched Greg and felt like his heart was in his throat not daring even to breathe in case something happened. Every time Greg had the slightest slip Nick thought his heart had stopped.

"Come on Greggo you can do this" he mumbled.

Greg was now over halfway up the tree. He dared himself to look down, which wasn't the best Idea because he freaked and nearly slipped off the branch he was stood on. He clung onto the tree even tighter and Nick now looked really small.

"Just keep going and don't look down again" Greg told himself and went on a few more metres until he came to a branch that looked thick enough for him to stand on.

Greg steeped cautiously out onto the branch keeping one hand firmly on the tree trunk and shielding his eyes from the sun with his other hand.

"Bingo" he said with a broad grin as now just passed the trees he could just about see the tops of buildings from Vegas.

They looked very, very far away but at least they now had a definite direction to head in. Greg stepped back off the branch and started his descent, which for some reason was a lot scarier than coming up.

Nick had still not taken his eyes off his friend's small figure and was relieved Greg was now on his way down. He watched Greg climb slowly but steadily back towards the ground when suddenly there was a horrific crack and he heard Greg yelp in fear as a branch snapped from beneath his feet. All Nick could do was watch and he felt useless as Greg was now clinging onto the tree for dear life with just the tip of his toes on the remaining stump from the fallen branch.

"Greg jump!" Nick called up panicked.

"Are you crazy?!" Greg replied still not bringing himself to look down.

"No you're close enough to the ground to be ok; I'll catch you if I have to. Nothing bad will happen I promise"

Greg squint one eye open and looked down at the ground but this only made him feel like his stomach was doing back flips, he still seemed too high for his liking.

"Just do it" he whispered to himself and with that he loosened his grip on the tree and launched himself towards the ground.

Much to Greg's surprise his landing was rather soft and he dared to open his eyes to see Nick staring down at him with a grin on his face. Greg quickly patted himself down with his hands "I'm alive" he said "and still in one piece. Bonus"

"Yeah I managed to gather up some of the leaves and make a pile for you to land in" Nick said triumphantly, helping Greg to his feet "so you see anything?"

"Yep, Vegas is that way" Greg said smiling and pointing in the right direction.

"Awesome lets go" Nick said smiling back and he made only one step forward before Greg grabbed hold of his arm.

"Wait…do you hear that?" Greg whispered and Nick stopped to listened too, there was a low rumbling noise growing closer and closer from behind the trees.

"It's an engine" Nick said confirming their fears "those guys must be after us again. Run!" and with that the two men once again started a frantic sprint through the forest and the sound of gun fire began to ring in their ears.


	4. Chapter 4: Role Reversal

**A/N: Hey guys! Thanks for the lovely reviews and of course for reading :) I really liked writing this chapter as I swapped it round and made Greg more protective of Nick for once, plenty of brotherly love in this one guys!**

**Please Review :) xx**

* * *

**Chapter 4: Role Reversal **

Just as before Greg stayed in front so Nick could shoot at the guys if needed, but his ammo was running low now so he had to only use it when he was certain he was going to hit something. The gun shots stopped for a while as the engine grew louder and the van drew closer and naturally the gang could now gain on the two CSI's a lot faster than they could have on foot.

Greg, who was taking the lead, could hear that the van was no longer behind them but moving along side of them. He dared a look to his right only to see the deadly white van driving parallel to him along the rows of trees. Suddenly the driver of the van veered to the left and drove out in front of Greg cutting his path. Greg skidded to a halt but Nick didn't notice and bumped into the back of him. The gun fire started once more.

"Quick, this way!" Nick said shoving Greg to the right so the van would have to make a full turn. Greg stumbled a little but then carried on pounding across the forest floor just like before.

Nick decided he best start shooting too. He fired one bullet behind him and heard the windscreen of the van smash as glass scattered the ground. A round was fired back and that's when Nick felt the horrific burning sensation in his hip.

He fell to the ground and clutched onto his right hip in pain as a bullet wound was now present. He tried to put pressure on it with his hands but the blood was flowing everywhere. He gritted his teeth hard to try and stop himself screaming in pain. The van seemed to ignore him and drove on passed obviously now going to get Greg too.

"No!" Nick yelled loudly but then started to groan from the immense pain coming from his side.

Greg had been so wound up in running away that he hadn't realised Nick had fall behind him until he heard Nick's anguished cries.

"Oh my God" Greg said to himself, veering off and darting behind a tree hoping the van would carry on driving straight passed, which luckily it did. "Nick!" he called frantically running back to find him "I'm coming just hang on!"

Greg saw Nick in amongst the leaves clutching desperately at his side, rocking back and forth with a pained expression on his face.

"Greg, what the hell are you doing!?" Nick exclaimed "just go or they'll get you too"

"Stop being so tough, there's no way I'm leaving you" Greg said helping Nick to his feet "come on" he said grabbing hold of Nick's left hand and running towards another big oak tree.

Every step Nick took the pain got worse and he constantly winced and let out small yelps of pain as Greg pulled him behind the tree and sat him down against it.

"It ok's, you're going to be ok" Greg said trying to hide his worry. He took off his vest and folded it putting it behind Nick's head to keep him as comfortable as possible. Then he gathered some big leaves and used them to put pressure on the wound.

"Greg, please just go" Nick pleaded through gritted teeth "I'm only putting you in more danger."

"I don't care" Greg said stubbornly, concentrating on applying pressure to the wound "I'm going to get you out of here; I'll carry you if I have too"

"If you're gunna do that you might want to gain fifty pounds" Nick said with a light laugh.

"Hey, I'm stronger than I look" Greg said with a weak smile "I don't know what to do" he confessed, his hands trembling "I mean should I try and get the bullet out?"

"No don't!" Nick said a bit loud because the thought scared him "I mean you have nothing to do it with, just leave it"

"Alright, ok…" Greg said closing his eyes shut tight trying to think of a plan. Nick had noticed the tremble in Greg's hands.

"Hey" he said weakly moving his hand and placing it on top of Greg's "don't worry, you're doing a good job, you're a good doctor" Greg gave him a weak smile of appreciation and Nick closed his eyes and screwed them up in pain. He'd begun to feel really dizzy and felt he was getting weaker by the second.

"Nick? Hey stay with me" Greg said softly "come on dude you have to try and stay awake"

"I know I'm trying" Nick whispered "it just hurts so bad"

"I know, I'm gunna get you some help I promise" Greg replied. All he could think about was getting Nick out of there before he lost too much blood or the wound became infected. "Ok…I'm going to propose something and you're not going to like it but just hear me out" Greg said seriously.

"If you know I'm going to say no then why…"

"Because right now I feel it's the only option we've got if we're going to get found." Greg said, he took a deep breath "I'll go back to that cabin and get inside somehow…there's bound to be a phone in there somewhere and I can call for help."

"So let me get this straight….you want me to let you walk into a house alone with no weapon, a house full of complete physcopaths who are like twice your size and would shoot you in an instant?"

"Basically…"

"Oh great let me think about it" Nick said sarcastically "Erm, no" he added five seconds later "I am not going to let you get killed."

"I knew you'd be like this" Greg said a little agitated "what other choice do we have?"

"Well maybe I can…" Nick started trying to stand up but he failed miserably and fell back to the ground with an agonised grown.

"Don't be stupid" Greg said concernedly making sure Nick was repositioned comfortably enough. Nick let out a straggled laugh "What's so funny?" Greg asked.

"It's just…weird…how you're suddenly the one in charge, taking care of me. I mean you were just the crazy kid from the lab with the strange hair do's… but now you're out in the field and I see how strong you are…you don't need me to protect you all the time."

"I know you've always got my back" Greg said with a smile "and you should know that I've always got yours."

There was a scared silence for a while.

"You have to go don't you…" Nick said quietly breaking that silence. Greg nodded. "We have no other choice, do we…" Greg shook his head. "Then you take the gun" Nick said taking it from his holster and holding it out to Greg "this is not open for discussion" he added quickly when Greg opened his mouth to protest. Greg sighed and took the gun as Nick let out another low groan of pain and closed his eyes.

"Hey, Nicky please don't…" Greg said shaking Nick's shoulder slightly but Nick couldn't bring himself to open his eyes.

"Promise me you'll be ok…" Nick mumbled so quietly Greg only just heard him "Promise me you'll come back…"

"I promise" Greg replied putting his hand gently on Nick's, but Nick was no longer responding as he'd slipped into unconsciousness.

Greg panicked and checked Nick's pulse quickly and it was there but going at a rather rapid pace. Nick's skin felt ice cold beneath his so Greg took off his hoodie and laid it over Nick like a blanket to give him a little more warmth. He then took the laces out of his converse and used them to tie the leaves onto Nick's hip so they would keep pressure on the wound.

Even though he knew Nick would kill him when he woke up, Greg decided to leave the gun with him. Greg figured that he could still run away if he had to and if he took the gun then Nick would be completely unprotected, so he slipped the gun handle into Nick's hand. Greg quickly managed to get into his vest and scribble down a note with some pen and paper for in case Nick woke up. He left the note in the pocket on the front of Nick's jacket. He stood up and looked over Nick one more time to make sure he seemed protected and comfortable before running off into the direction of the cabin.

Greg more or less ran the whole way there. Firstly because now just down to his tee shirt he was extremely cold but most importantly because he didn't know how much longer Nick could last. As soon as he saw the familiar wooden house appear from amongst the trees he hid behind one and lent back on it trying to catch his breath. The van was gone meaning the men were still on the move, Greg just prayed to God that they wouldn't stumble across Nick on their way.

After checking the coast was clear for about the tenth time Greg made his way over to cabin in a bent over position and sat down under the window just like he and Nick did before. Then just like Nick, Greg got on his knees and peered into the house, as he suspected there was no one there. He made a dash for the front door and it opened easy as there was no lock.

Greg gently closed the door behind him and crept around quietly as possible just in case there was someone there. He spotted an old radio transmitter on a table in what must have been the main room as it held both a small bar and a poker table. Greg held on of the head phones to his ear and pulled the microphone down to his mouth before fiddling with some dials on the radio trying to find the police frequency.

"Hello?" he asked as soon as he heard the beep telling him he'd found the right frequency "hello is anyone there? This is CSI Greg Sanders please respond" there was a silence expect for the radio crackling and Greg was going to give up hope.

"Sanders?" a low voice replied sounding shocked.

"Brass" Greg said smiling in relief.

"Where the hell are you?" Brass pressed "We've been looking for you and Nick all night"

"It's a long story but basically we were kidnapped by these three guys and they dumped us in the middle of a forest I'd say about forty miles outside of Vegas"

"Ok, just hang on a sec we're trying to track the radio signal so we can get your location." Brass instructed.

"Please Hurry, Nick's really hurt he's got a bullet in his hip" Greg said feeling more panicked the longer he was away from the older CSI.

"Is he with you now?" Brass asked.

"No I had to come find a way of contacting you guys, he was unconscious when I left him" Greg said his voice hitching a little.

"Alright, just stay calm it'll all be ok. We've got the location we'll get the helicopter out looking for you guys now."

"Ok well were behind an Oak tree near a clearing, I'd say it was about 200 feet west from we're I'm radioing" Greg estimated.

"Alright, thanks. Don't worry we'll find you, just try and keep Nick stable for now ok"

"I will, Thanks Brass" Greg said and put the radio down.

He turned to make a quick exit but froze in his tracks when he heard the front door open and voices yelling. Greg put one hand on the counter top of the bar and jumped over, crouching down behind it and listening in.

"You need to keep guard of this place in case the other one comes to try and get help. We're going to go look for him again, can't have him telling the cops" With that the door shut and footsteps told Greg there was now another presence in the room as he stayed hidden behind the bar.

Greg looked around for some kind of weapon when he spotted an empty glass bottle in the trash can nearby. He slowly picked it up and then jumped up from behind the bar.

"Why hello sir what can I get you" he said with a smile and the man looked at him wide eyed in shock.

"What the…" he began, blinking a few times in disbelief to make sure what he could see was real.

"How about scotch? Shaken not stirred" Greg said swinging the bottle round and hitting the guy on the side of the head.

Glass shattered everywhere and the man fell to the floor with blood running down the side of his face, his eyes closed. Greg stood in awe for a while at what he had done before cautiously making his way closer to the man and checking his pulse. He sighed with relief that it was still there strong as ever, he decided he best get a move on as the man could wake up any minute.


	5. Chapter 5: Men Down

**A/N: Heyy people! Hope life is being good to you, God I am so jealous of all those who are watching the new CSI season already XD I hope it's good and worth the wait! Anyways, thank you so much for the wonderful reviews and for favouriting/ alerting/ reading, you're the best! Enjoy :) **

**Please Review :) xx**

* * *

**Chapter 5: Men Down**

Nick woke up to find himself covered in Greg's jacket, he smiled, touched by Greg's concern for him but then he cursed the kid as he realised the gun in his hand. He thought he'd made Greg promise he'd take it with him. He scrunched his eyes shut in pain as the memory of his wound came rushing back. He lifted the jacket gently to see the leaves crudely tied in place but they seemed to be doing a decent job. Then Nick spotted the piece of paper in his pocket and pulled it out having to focus hard to stop the words from blurring.

_Heyy dude, if you're reading this it means you're awake, congrats! There's a Ferrari waiting with your name on it._

Nick smirked and let out a light laugh.

_You're probably pissed about the gun but we both know I'd just have ended up hurting myself more than the person I was shooting at. Plus, I could hardly leave you unprotected; you know how selfless I am. _

Nick rolled his eyes at this, although he had to admit it was true.

_Don't mess up the jacket either with your blood; it's one of my favourites and I'm going extremely cold for you. Just stay calm and don't worry, I promised I'd come back and I never break a promise. It's nearly over._

_G _

Nick smiled "yeah you better come back" he mumbled "or I'll kill you". He rest his head back against the tree and closed his eyes as pain started to take over his body once more. "Please be ok, G" he whispered before the darkness consumed him once more, his hand however still firmly wrapped around the handle of the gun.

Two people shadowed by a nearby tree decided to make their move.

* * *

Meanwhile Greg had left the unconscious man behind convinced he would be alright and had started to quickly make his way back to Nick. He ran as fast as he could finding some comfort in the fact the helicopter would arrive soon, but the other two men were still out there.

Greg approached the area where he had left Nick only to find the two other men leant over Nick, one with a circular chain saw in his hand.

"Get the hell away from him!" Greg yelled running up behind one of the men without thinking and tackling him to the ground. He was immediately pulled off by the second man who pinned Greg's arms down to the dirt.

"Even better" the man with the chainsaw smirked "I like my victims awake, I like to hear them scream in fear and pain as the life leaves their eyes. Another hand for our collection, could get us five hundred bucks"

Greg started trembling uncontrollably at this, his eyes widening. The man who was pinning him down pulled Greg's left arm out to the side and held onto his hand just above the wrist. Then the other man stood over him, a leg either side of Greg's body as he laughed and pulled the cord on the chain saw so it came roaring to life. Greg immediately yelled and started kicking and struggling but the second man held him with an iron grip.

"Come on if you stay still this may hurt a little less, but you'll still scream bloody murder" he grinned wickedly bringing the saw closer to Greg's arm very slowly wanting to savour every moment and watch the kid squirm.

"Oh my God, no!" Greg cried shutting his eyes tight and kicking and struggling with all his strength but it was no use "Please don't!" his begs were useless. "Nick, help me!" he tried in a desperate attempt as a tear slipped from his eyes "Nick help me, please wake up!"

Back against the tree Nick could hear a loud buzzing noise in his subconscious, he thought it was a fly and he wanted to swat it but found he couldn't move. The noise only got louder. Then he heard someone screaming, a male, he sounded really scared and anguished. The voice was calling for him, calling his name begging for him to wake up.

"Nick!"

Nick's eyes shot open as soon as he recognised the voice. It was Greg screaming for his help. He looked in horror as a man stood over Greg wielding a saw bringing it closer to Greg's flesh. He could only see Greg's legs flailing around as he tried desperately to escape. Nick's anger flared at these men as he gripped the gun he had hidden under the jacket tight and started to push himself up into a standing position against the tree.

Greg still yelled and yelled hoping for some kind of mercy but the men showed none, eventually he couldn't help but begin to accept the fact he was about to enter a whole new world of pain…

"Hey!"

The two bandits and Greg both looked round to see Nick limping towards them.

"Leggo of my Greggo" Nick said seriously and with that he lifted the gun from his side and planted a bullet in both of the men.

Both of them fell to the floor in pain, Greg just managed to roll out of the way of the saw as it fell from the man's hand, it finally stopped moving along with the two men. Greg scrambled to his feet, Nick hissed in pain and began to collapse until Greg caught him, slinging Nick's arm around his shoulder and leaning Nick's body against him.

"Hey take it easy buddy" Greg said as he gently led Nick back to the tree and sat him down. Nick could feel the younger man still trembling from fright as he sat Nick down. Greg started to check on Nick's wound and get some fresh leaves for it. Leaves were not exactly the most sterile thing but it's the best Greg could do.

"Bastards" Nick said as he looked at the two men "Hurt?" he asked Greg quietly as all the fight had nearly left him and loss of consciousness threatened once more. "You, hurt?"

"No, thanks to you I'm fine. Just a little shaken is all" Greg said with a reassuring smile.

"You…warm" Nick stated with a frown "you're _really_ warm"

"Must just be 'cause I've been running in the sun all morning, I didn't notice" Greg said but Nick gave him a worried frown "Nick I'm fine I promise" he said rubbing the Texans arm as he sat next to him. "I promised I'd come back and I did didn't I? So trust me on this one too. I managed to call for help; chopper should be here any minute"

"Glad…glad you're ok" Nick said quietly as he rested his head on Greg's shoulder because he'd lost all of his energy.

"Thank you for saving me" Greg said rubbing Nick's arm again, Nick mumbled something that sounded like a 'welcome' in return "come on man you're doing so well" Greg encouraged "just a few more minutes." Greg took the gun Nick still had in his hand and keep it pointed towards the men In case one of them came round.

Silence fell in the area except for Nick taking deep, heavy breaths. Suddenly the wind began to move more rapidly and a low humming noise appeared becoming louder and louder as it grew closer towards them. Greg shielded his eyes with his hand and looked up in to the trees. The silhouette of a helicopter appeared above the clearing and the leaves on the ground began to move in a furious whirlwind.

"Shit!" Greg exclaimed as he realised the two men were still lying were the helicopter was going to land. He carefully laid Nick down before jumping up and dragging both men out the way in turn.

The helicopter landed and a few medics jumped off followed by Brass, Grissom and another cop.

"Greg, are you ok?" Grissom asked going over to the young CSI and putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Yeah" Greg said but he seemed distant as he watched the medic's get Nick onto a stretcher. "Those two are the kidnappers, they tried to cut my hand off with a chainsaw" he explained about the two other men. Grissom and Brass shared a look. "There's another one back in the cabin I radioed from."

"They're both dead" a medic informed them.

"Ok you guys go with Nick and I'll stay here and wait for ground patrol" Brass said.

Grissom and Greg nodded in agreement before following the medics onto the helicopter as they had finished preparing Nick.

"Is he going to be ok?" Greg asked as he took a seat near Nick's head, Grissom sat next to him.

"He's lost a lot of blood." The medic explained as he placed an oxygen mask over Nick's nose and mouth "soon as we get in we're gunna get some blood back in him then take him to surgery to take the bullet out."

"Is the wound infected?" Greg dared himself to ask thinking about the leaves he'd used.

"No" the medic said to their relief. Grissom and Greg sat back then so the medics had room to work.

"Hey when you have a minute can one of you check on Greg please?" Grissom requested a few minutes later.

"Griss there's no need I'm fine" Greg said reassuringly feeling everyone's attention should be on Nick right now, although, the heat was starting to get to him.

"Are you sure? That looks like an awful lot of blood on your leg" Grissom said pointing to the red patch on Greg's jeans.

"Oh it's just a cut I got when I fell over" Greg explained trying to make it sound like no big deal, which to him it wasn't. "I'd totally forgotten about it."

A medic frowned at this "I better take a look at that" she said gathering some things "roll your trouser leg" she requested and Greg complied.

"Greg that's not a cut that's a really deep gash" Grissom said looking at the wound which had gone a mixture of blue, purple and green with dried blood everywhere. It looked really nasty.

"It wasn't that bad before" Greg said with a frown.

"Greg, follow the light from for me?" the medic asked shining the light in Greg's eyes. He tried to follow it with great difficulty. "Greg do you feel dizzy?" she asked gently. Greg shook his head. "It's really important you don't lie to me" the medic pressed.

"Well…maybe a little" Greg said quietly but it was more than a little, he just didn't want people worrying about him too.

"I'm going to check your temperature ok?" she said although sweat was now blatantly visible on Greg's forehead. She took out an ear thermometer which made a beep as it took Greg's temperature. "Definitely above average" she stated reading the screen. "How long have you had this cut?"

"I don't know about twelve hours" Greg said quietly, the spinning in his head was getting worse, he closed his eyes. "Why, what's wrong?"

"You have a really bad infection" she said "Greg?" she said when he didn't respond, he'd began to slump to one side, Grissom put an arm around him for support "Greg can you hear me?" the medic asked but still no response. "We need to get him on antibiotics straight away, pull down that other stretcher!" she called and another medic did so.

All Grissom could do was watch in despair as now _two_ of his CSI's and friends lay unconscious in front of him.


	6. Chapter 6: What I've Learnt

**A/N: Hey CSI's! Thank you so much for your brilliant reviews and of course, reading/ alerting/ favouriting, you guys are the best! So I heard on the twitter vine that it's a Greg centred episode this week? Great! I'm going to wait for the season to start in the UK like a good girl, but I hope it's a good one! Thought I'd post this to hopefully get you in the mood. Anyways it's the last chapter guys! **

**Please Review :) xx**

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**Chapter 6: What I've Learnt **

Warrick decided to meet Grissom at the hospital and was mortified when two stretchers burst through the doors his best friends lying unconscious on them, Grissom followed.

"Get him ready for surgery right away" a doctor said pointing to Nick "and start pumping him with antibiotics" he said pointing to Greg. Greg was pushed into a nearby room whilst they took Nick off down the corridor.

"What the hell happened to them?" Warrick quietly asked still in shock.

"Nick got shot, there's a bullet in his hip and Greg has a really bad cut on his leg that's gotten badly infected" Grissom explained.

"Man, what the hell did those bastards put them through" Warrick said, his concern was now being overshadowed by his anger at the kidnappers.

"Well, two of them are dead and Brass just called, he's got a third in custody. Greg knocked him out apparently." Grissom said folding his arms and raising an eyebrow.

"No way" Warrick said. He couldn't help but let the corners of his mouth edge up into a small smile, he was proud of the kid for taking action. "Anyway, what's going on now?" he said regaining focus on the current fearful situation.

"I'm not sure, but I think they're taking Nick in for emergency surgery and then they'll sedate him for a while. As for Greg, I think it's just a case of giving him the meds, fixing up his leg and waiting for him to wake up."

Warrick nodded as he took in this information. "Have you called the girls yet?" he asked, referring to Catherine and Sara.

"Yes, they're going to get the first flight back to Vegas" Grissom informed him.

"Good" Warrick replied and the two men just stood there for a while not sure what to do with themselves, until a nurse approached them.

"You came in with the two men from the helicopter?" she asked. Both Warrick and Grissom nodded. "Well, the one with the bullet wound is in surgery now and everything's going well. The other with the infection seems to be doing well too, it was only minor. The wound's been cleaned and his temperature is coming down. Antibiotics are doing a good job; he should be awake any minute now. You can sit with him if you wish."

"Alright, thank you ma'am" Grissom replied and then turned to Warrick as they shared a relieved look.

"Why don't I go and sit with Greg" Warrick offered. He knew if he stayed here he'd just go crazy waiting for any news about Nick and he wanted to check on his younger friend anyway. "Just come and find me if there's any news on Nick" he instructed.

"Alright" Grissom replied and with that Warrick went to ask a nurse for Greg's room number.

Warrick found the room but hesitated a little before going inside. The last time he had seen Greg in hospital was after the explosion. The poor kid had been forced to lie on his side and was so tired and in a hell of a lot of pain. It hurt Warrick to see the normally bubbly and bouncy lab tech in that way and he wasn't sure if he was prepared to see Greg that way again.

"He would do it for you" Warrick reminded himself under his breath before slowly opening the door and steeping inside.

Greg laid in bed wires going in and out if his arm. His leg was now bandaged and his hair was no longer sticking to his forehead with sweat. His eyes, however, were closed and he genuinely looked like he was sleeping, there was no pain in his face, a good sign.

Warrick sat down in the chair and waited, just watching Greg's seemingly peaceful form, if anything he was keeping guard over Greg for Nick. He expected Greg to be out for a long time and was surprised when no more than an hour later, the younger CSI let out a small moan. Warrick leant forward in the chair, Greg remained still, and Warrick thought he must have been hearing things but then Greg's eyes began to flutter open.

"Greg?" Warrick said quietly, the other man slowly turned his head to look at Warrick. Greg had a very confused expression on his face. "You're in the hospital." Warrick explained "Do you remember what happened?" Greg nodded.

"Nick" Was the first word out of the younger man's mouth.

"He should be out of surgery now" Warrick explained. It was typical for Greg to ask about Nick's condition first rather than his own.

"I want to…I want to see him" Greg said quietly as he slowly pulled himself up into a sitting position.

"I don't think that's a good idea" Warrick said sceptical if Greg should be out of bed yet.

"Would you stop me if I tired?" Greg asked seriously, Warrick remained silent not sure what to say. "Well then…" Greg said and much to Warrick's horror he started to pull the wires and needle out of his arm.

"Greg, what the hell are you doing?!" Warrick said shocked, he tried to stop his younger friend but Greg was determined.

"I'm going to see Nick" he stated calmly.

"Greg, please…" Warrick started to try and reason but then Greg jumped out the bed and Warrick had to grab hold of him to stop him falling over.

"I'll get back in bed, once I know Nick is ok" Warrick opened his mouth to protest but then Greg looked up at him so their eyes met and Warrick could see the deep brown was trying to hide Greg's fear and desperation. "Please Rick, after the state I saw him in, I just need to know."

"Alright, but if anyone catches us, I tried to stop you remember" Warrick said slinging Greg's arm around his shoulder.

"You got it" Greg said with a small smile and Warrick helped him down the halls as he was still pumped up with medication and had developed a slight limp.

They finally stumbled across Nick's room, for people recovering after surgery. Grissom was sat beside him with a book, as is character. When Warrick walked in supporting Greg, the normally calm mannered man was quiet surprised and worried.

"Greg, what are you doing out of bed?" he asked putting the book down.

"I was sleep walking" Greg said with deadly serious tone but when Grissom looked at him with a raised eyebrow he just smiled. "I wanted to see Nick."

"Well he's still under sedation but the doctor said the surgery was successful and he should be just fine." Grissom informed them.

Grissom moved from the chair and let Greg sit down from fear he would collapse. Grissom didn't even argue about Greg going back to his room, he knew the young tech could be stubborn when it concerned his friends.

"_Should _be" Warrick repeated, that didn't sound at all positive to him.

"Well he might not wake up until tomorrow" Grissom explained.

"He'll wake up soon" Greg said leaning back in his chair "he knows I'll kill him if he doesn't" Warrick and Grissom gave a weary smile at this. "He wouldn't give up on me…so I won't give up on him"

The three men sat for a while just talking. Every now and again Warrick would try and gently suggest Greg go back to bed, but the spikey haired tech just sat looking at Nick and ignored these comments. After a while a nurse came to tell Warrick and Grissom visiting hours were over and she seemed annoyed at the fact Greg was not resting.

Warrick and Grissom reluctantly left after Greg promised he would go back to bed now. But as soon as the older CSI's and the nurse left, he was already sneaking back into Nick's room determined to keep him company, conscious or not.

"Hey man…" Greg said pulling his chair a little closer to Nick's bed. "I can't believe we made it out huh… you know all that stuff I did, learning to be tough and survive….I learnt it all from you. I've always wanted to be strong like you and I hope I proved myself the past couple of days. I know I can be annoying and a bit of a handful, but thank you for putting up with me and sticking by my side no matter what I do." He leaned forward and put his hand on a still Nick's, it was surprisingly warm. "I guess that makes you my big brother huh…because I sure as hell love you like one."

He sat rubbing his thumb on Nick's hand for a while, every now and then Greg swore he felt it move, but he soon dismissed this as he was still sleep deprived and a little woozy from the drugs. All he wanted was for Nick to wake up, even if it was for a second, just so Greg knew he was ok.

"Typical me huh?" Greg began to talk again. "Sat talking to myself like a crazy kid. But that's why I need you to wake up. I need you to tell me to stop rambling on. I need you to make jokes about me with Warrick. I need you to encourage me not to give up on Sara. I need you to teach me how to be a good CSI" His voice grew quiet now and tears began to well in his eyes. "Nick please wake up, you can't leave me" he bowed his head as a tear feel from his eye.

"Wouldn't…" came a small croaky voice. Greg's head immediately shot up looking wide eyed. Nick however was still; Greg frowned thinking he was hearing things. But then he felt Nick's hand wrap around his "Wouldn't ever leave you..." the Texan croaked as he slowly turned his head to look at Greg. Greg grinned from ear to ear and launched himself at Nick before he could think and wrapped his arms around his older friend. "Whoa, whoa carful buddy" Nick cringed "still feeling a little fragile here"

Greg quickly got back into the chair "yes, of course, sorry" he said running a hand through his hair and feeling embarrassed. Nick however just smiled, but this soon turned into a frown when he noticed something unusual about his little brother.

"How come…you're in hospital clothes?" Nick asked closing his eyes again. He couldn't feel any pain thanks to the pain medication but it made him feel exhausted.

"Oh...erm...don't worry about that" Greg said with a weary smile but Nick looked at him like he wasn't going to drop it. "It doesn't matter, I'm fine and it's you who needs to get better."

"You're hiding…something from me" Nick argued. He may be feeling weak but there was no way he was going to forget the fact that Greg may be hurt too. "I can tell cos…you bite your lip"

"Oh" Greg said, he didn't realise that was one of his traits, but apparently Nick had noticed it over the years. "Well…you know how I fell over and got that cut?" Greg asked sheepishly, Nick slowly nodded on the pillow. "It may have, kind of, sort of, got badly infected….and I kind of, might have passed out in the helicopter" he finished quietly.

"What!?" Nick said trying to sit up in his surprise, but Greg gently pushed him back down. "Well then, what are you doing here worrying about me, you should be worrying about yourself. You should be in bed…" he seemed more awake all of a sudden.

"Nick seriously calm down…it's not that bad!" Greg tried to reason with him, but Nick seemed determined "I wouldn't be sat here if it was."

Nick calmed a little "you're an idiot…" he said with a small smile "do you know that?"

Greg smiled too "I think I would prefer the term selfless… or heroic!"

"Yeah I'll go with that" Nick said looking at him with genuine eyes and a broad smile "I wouldn't have made it without you Greggo, my little bro, thank you"

Greg shrugged "You're welcome" and then he let out a light laugh.

A few minutes later the nurse entered the room "Mister Stokes you're awake!" she said happily but then she put her hands on her hips and glared at Greg. "Mister Sanders, I thought I told you to stay in bed."

"I already told him" Nick argued "but I know he never does as he's told."

"Liar!" Greg protested and Nick let out a small laugh.

"Ma'am, please get him to bed, he looks tired" Nick requested concernedly, but Greg folded his arms like a stroppy two year old.

"I don't want to be alone tonight" Greg admitted a little awkwardly, he knew he'd be having nightmares about having his hand chopped off for a while.

"There is a spare bed" Nick noted looking at the one next to him and then both he and Greg looked at the nurse with the best puppy dog eyes they could give. She laughed.

"Alright, alright, but I'll have to put your drip back in" she warned Greg, but he nodded eagerly.

"Sure, thank you" he said with a big grin and climbed into the next bed.

Both friends may be in hospital, wounded, but they knew it could be a lot worse. And if they couldn't be healthy together, they were at least grateful they could heal together.

* * *

**Woo! I know there was a lot more I could have done with this story, but I felt it appropriate to stop here and I'm working on so many more ideas XD .The next story I'm, hoping to get out is a sequel to 'Baby Troubles' so please do check out the original if you want! But in the mean time I may have a possible one shot in mind ( based on Greg in hospital after the explosion as I feel it wasn't explored enough) just to keep you going until I'm done planning. **

**Thanks for the continued support guys! Like I said, you're the best :) **

**Lil Badger 101 xx **


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